Max hoeft



(No Model.)

M. HOEFT.

NOTE CASE.

No. 459,290. Patented Sept. 8, 1891.

F5 1 V F542.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX HOEFT, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

NOTE-CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,290, datedSeptember 8, 1891.

Application filed November 28, 1890. Serial No. 372916. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAX HOEFT, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,andaresident of Berlin, Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, have inventeda new and useful Note-Case, of which the following is a specification,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to note-cases.

In the accompanying drawings the im proved device constructed accordingto my said invention, having a strip of paper on which notes, orders, orthe like may be written, is shown as applied to a letter-box. Acharacteristic feature of this device is that it enables the writtennotes to be read only by the persons who are authorized to open theletter-box.

Figures 1 and 2 show the letter-box in front and side elevation. Thestrip of paper is here placed in the interior of the letter-box behind asquare aperture a a a a in the door A. Its arrangement is shown in Figs.3 to 5, of which Fig. 3 is an interior view, and Fig. 4 a transversesection.

The strip of paper P on which notes are to be written is first woundupon the roller 1) or slid as a finished roll upon the same. Theroller 1) is held below the aperture to in small lateral brackets, and asecond roller 0 is arranged in a similar manner above the said aperture.Upon the second roller is wound the part of the strip of paper writtenon. This is effected by means of the knob g from the outside of theletter-box as soon as something has been written upon the surfacepresented; also, the lower roller 1) is provided with a turning knob,which, however, is notaccessible from the outside. The rollers 19 and 0may be supported with their journals in any suitable manner. In theexample represented small sheet angles serve as bearings, these beingprovided with holes for two journals and with slots for the two otherjournals to enable the rollers to be conveniently put in their place.The journals placed in the slots are securely held in their position bya hooked rod k. In order that the notes written on the strip of papershall not be accessible to unauthorized persons, the roller 0 is turnedby means of the knob'(, which can ordinarily take place only in onedirection,

inasmuch as a ratchet mechanism 6 e is prohowever, necessary to open theletter-box first.

The said pawl is preferably made of the stopnose 6' and a spring, asshown. By means of a short cord 6 which has at its end aring, the springcan be lifted off and the pawl disengaged, the ring being then attachedto the hook 11. Such a disengaging mechanism can of course be carriedout in various manners.

In order to getthe device ready for use, one end of the paper strip isstretched out behind the above-mentioned aperture, and the outer edge,as shown in Fig. 5, is fixed by clamping, pinning, or otherwise to theroller 0. Then the strip of paper lies behind the aperture a in front ofthe plate d, over which it is smoothly stretched out. This plate 61serves to support the paper and is secured to the rear of the door ofthe letter-box. Upon the plate dare secured the springs ff,which are toprevent the paper stripbeing wound off too easily. When an order hasbeen written upon the strip of paper, the knob g is turned until theportion which contains the writing is no longer visible'-that is to say,has been wound upon the roller 0. To read the notes again the letter-boxmust be opened, the pawl disengaged, and the slip of paper turned backby means of the knob h until the writing appears again at the aperture,whereupon the device is again got ready foruse. The rollers may also betaken down and the writing may be read by winding off the strip.

What I claim is- A note-case consisting of a closed lock-box having anaperture for the passage of a paperweb to be written upon and a platefor supporting the paper while writing thereon, a pair of rolls for thepaper-web, one serving to unwind and the other to wind the web and bothinclosed within the lock-box, a knob arranged on the shaft of theunwinding-roll at a point outside the lock-box for unwinding thepaper-Web without opening the box, a knob arranged on the shaft of thewindingroll at a point inside the lock-box, and ratchet mechanisminclosed within the lock-boxaud In testimony whereof I have hereunto setmy hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAX HOEFT.

YVitnesses:

J. LEMAN, A. SIEBER.

